


we were born sick

by TheWeatherOutside



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Adopted, Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Family Bonding, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Orphans, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, wee tracys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26856625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWeatherOutside/pseuds/TheWeatherOutside
Summary: It doesn’t matter where they come from, they are always meant to be a family.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959214
Comments: 27
Kudos: 26
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	we were born sick

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober prompts used: “Stop, please,” Broken Bones, Fire, Wrongfully Accused, Phobias, Accidents, Emergency Room, Falling, Comfort, & Found Family.

When Jeff had first met his future wife, one thing that the two of them had bonded over was their idea of having a big family. It was something the two of them had always wanted, and something that they always talked about.

It was one of the many things that Jeff loved about Lucille; the idea that she would one day make a perfect mother to any child they would have. He could barely contain his excitement about the idea of the two of them finally having a child of their own one day, and it was part of the reason why he proposed just a year after they'd first met each other.

However, life never went how they wanted it to, and things constantly got in the way of their dream. Things like Jeff heading off to Mars, Lucille starting her dream job. It was never just the right time to start a family.

When things did finally settle and the time was right, it was too late.

It was their anniversary and Jeff had decided to surprise Lucille with a weekend away. He had intended for it to be some time for them to wind down and maybe talk about their next steps towards finally growing their family.

What he hadn't expected was to leave that holiday without a wife at all.

It had hit him hard, the death of Lucille, and he didn't know how he would move past it. It took him a while until he remembered that dream of theirs again. Maybe it wasn't too late after all.

It wasn't how they had pictured it, but then again there wasn't any exact way a family should look, was there? As long as his children were happy, that was all Jeff ever wanted.

So, he went looking. His mother told him he was crazy, that he could never raise a child on his own. He was worried she was right, but he wanted to prove her, and himself, wrong. He wanted to make Lucille proud, and give her what she'd always wanted.

He ended up at an adoption agency. It took a while for him to get into the system and even longer until they found a child for him, but when he did finally get the call, it was perfect.

The baby's name was Scott. His parents were two teenagers who'd made a mistake one Friday night. They'd regretted it, but not enough to not go through with the whole pregnancy.

They couldn't keep him, though. They were only seventeen and had their eyes on college and parties and normal teenage drama. Not staying home on Saturday nights and arguing over whose turn it was to get up at two am to check on the baby.

So Jeff gladly took that stress from their hands, and welcomed Scott to his new home.

Jeff had expectations as to how it would go, but having Scott was way more amazing than he ever thought it would be. He was quickly reminded why he had dreamt of a family in the first place, and although it wasn't through the avenue he'd originally expected, that didn't make it any less wonderful.

He gave Scott the best life he could. He made sure he was fed and warm and had enough toys he could open up his own store. Which was why he was surprised when Scott wanted something more.

It happened two years after Jeff had first adopted Scott. Scott had been watching some cartoon whilst Jeff sat next to him on the couch finishing off some work, when he felt a tug on his jeans.

Jeff looked down to find Scott looking up at him with his big, blue eyes.

"What is it, Scotty?" He asked his son as he set his laptop aside.

"Brother," was all Scott said.

"What was that?" Jeff frowned in confusion at the one word, not understanding what he meant.

"Brother," Scott said again. This time it was accompanied by Scott turning back to the TV and pointing at the screen.

The show that Scott was watching was about two twin brothers who could read each other's minds, and used this ability to fight bad guys. It was one of Scott's favourites, and Jeff was now seeing why that was.

"I have brother?" Scott asked him with the same puppy dog eyes he gave him when he wanted ice cream.

Jeff always had a hard time saying no to him, and although he had enjoyed these past two years of just the two of them, he was reminded of what his dream really was.

A big family.

He couldn't deprive Scott the joy of having a sibling to play with, and Jeff had gotten comfortable with the idea of raising another child on his own now that a Scott was a little older.

So as per Scott's wishes, he went back to the agency.

The call that there was another child in need of adoption came in quickly. A baby, who must have only been a month old, had been left in a basket outside a fire station one night. A search had been conducted for either of the baby's parents, but nothing could be found. The baby needed a new home, and so Jeff brought him in.

The baby had been wrapped in a blanket that had 'Virgil' stitched into one corner, what they'd quickly realised was the baby's name. It was all Virgil had of his past family, so Jeff made sure to hold onto it.

Scott attached himself to Virgil the moment he first laid eyes on him. It was precious, really, how Scott never wanted to take his eyes off his little brother. Jeff couldn't count how many times he'd found Scott cramped into Virgil's crib, curled around him as if to protect him from the world.

They were like two peas in a pod. They didn't allow the fact that they came from two different families come between them. If Jeff didn't know any better, then he would have believed that they were blood related.

The three of them were just the vision that Jeff had pictured. Sure, he had thought he'd end up with more than just two children of his own, but he had also thought that Lucille would be by his side. Two would be enough for him, especially if they were as perfect as Scott and Virgil.

Or so he thought.

Jeff had lived so happily with Scott and Virgil, he hadn't thought much about contacting the agency again. Which was why he was surprised when the agency contacted him a whole six years later.

Apparently, there was a new-born baby in urgent need of adopting. His parents had both suddenly died and he had no suitable family members to take him in.

Jeff was sceptical at first. He had grown so comfortable with just two sons, not to mention it had been a few years since he'd had to look after a baby as opposed to a child. Not only that, his house was barely big enough for two kids, let alone three.

But he couldn't make the decision on his own without talking to the rest of his family, so he consulted his, currently, only two sons.

He shouldn't have been surprised that Scott and Virgil jumped at the idea of having another sibling to play with, and with their enthusiasm, it was hard to turn the agency down.

So the baby, Alan, came to live with them. Jeff didn't know why he had been so worried, Alan got on as well with his new brothers as Scott and Virgil got on with each other. Jeff knew he needed a bigger house, though, and he knew just where to go.

His mother's farmhouse was way too big for her to live there all on her own, and she jumped at the chance of having her son and grandsons living with her. Not to mention the extra pair of hands that Jeff was beginning to think he'd need.

So it became Jeff, his three sons, and their grandma. It was all that Jeff had ever wanted. His sons were happy and healthy and got along perfectly. There wasn't much more that Jeff could ask for.

But then another call came in a few years later, which changed everything.

There was a child that needed a foster home that same night. Jeff hadn't been given too many details up front, only the child's age, which was five, and that he needed a home for an indefinite amount of time.

Jeff wasn't a foster parent, and the agency knew that, but they also knew that at this point he had a hard time turning down a child in need of a new home. Which was how Jeff ended up opening his door to a fourth child.

Gordon was this child's name, and Gordon was very different to his other children.

For starters, the first thing Jeff noticed about Gordon when he met him was the bruises on Gordon's face and the cast he had on one arm. Jeff quickly realised why he was called on so urgently, even without the explanation from the social worker who'd dropped him round.

Secondly, Gordon was quiet and very distant from Jeff. He never raised his voice or made a ruckus like the rest of Jeff's kids. And Gordon only ever called him by his name and never dad, which was understandable, seeing as he wasn't meant to stick around for long.

Which brought him to his final point; Gordon wasn't meant to stay with them permanently. Jeff was only meant to look after him until a suitable family could be found. Jeff hated to admit it, but there was a small part of him that hoped another family would be found.

There was a clear divide between Gordon and the rest of his sons. It had obviously come from the fact that Scott, Virgil and Alan had all been with him since they were babies and practically saw Jeff as their biological father at this point. But Gordon was older and clearly remembered his last family, so he didn't really see the others as his brothers, and vice versa.

However, despite their differences, Jeff could really see them becoming his new family. Gordon had grown on him in his short time of living there, and Jeff was kind of relieved when the agency had contacted him to say they still hadn't found anyone and asked him if he wanted to adopt Gordon for good.

Jeff couldn't make a decision without asking Gordon first, though. He was fully expecting Gordon to not be happy with the idea of staying with them forever, which was why he was surprised that Gordon immediately said yes.

This was probably the point that Jeff should have stopped. Four sons was a lot, and with Gordon still trying to settle in, it might have been best to call it quits there.

But still something didn't feel quite so complete. He knew something was missing, which was how Jeff ended up adopting one last child.

Now that his kids were slightly grown up, Jeff didn't think he wanted to opt for another baby, so the agency helped him find someone to complete his not so little family.

They eventually found him a child that was between Gordon and Virgil's age. He had apparently come from a family that was barely making ends meet, and it was the heart-breaking decision of the parents to give up their child, so that he could live a life without having to worry about whether he was going to eat that week.

Which was how John came to be the final puzzle piece that was their mismatched family. John fit in well quickly, despite so clearly missing his old family. Jeff knew that he being there also made Gordon more comfortable, as he was no longer the new kid and he had been adopted at a similar age.

They were all the perfect family. It was just what Jeff had wanted.

However, despite all that being said, Jeff would be fooling himself if he didn't acknowledge the problems that still made themselves known.

He tried to believe that the divide was no longer there, but he knew that ultimately that wasn't the case. There still seemed to be a separation between his first three adopted sons and his last two. Jeff didn't know what was stopping them all from getting along, especially now that they had all lived with each other for a couple of years, but he was hoping that would all change soon.

Jeff had to go away for a few days for a business meeting. It would be the longest he'd been away from his sons since he had all five of them, and he honestly didn't know how it would all go down in his absence. He considered just not going, but this was an important deal and if it all went successfully, his business would benefit greatly.

His mother would be there to look after them, and he trusted that things wouldn't go drastically wrong in his absence.

So, it was with a heavy heart and a promise that he'd return by the weekend, that he left his sons early one morning and headed to the airport.

* * *

The five of them were sat around the dining table. They'd just finished breakfast after seeing their dad off, and their grandma had given them the task of trying to come up with something they could do together for the day.

They were sat in silence. No one had any ideas, or at least no one wanted to voice any. It was awkward and Virgil could tell that they all just wanted to leave, but their grandma had told them they couldn't until they had an idea.

Virgil knew it was going to be up to him to come up with something or they'd be sitting at this table all day.

"Why don't we all go to the treehouse?" Virgil suggested, and all heads turned to him as he finally broke the silence. "We haven't been there in a while."

"You have a treehouse?" John sat up, interest piqued.

"Yes, we do." John still sometimes had a hard time remembering that what was theirs was his now too. "Dad built it for us just after we moved here. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think we've been there since before we got Gordon."

"I forgot all about that old thing," Scott mused with a smile, remembering the fond memories they'd had there. "That sounds like a great idea, Virg."

Virgil grinned as everyone else agreed to his idea, and they all left the table to tell their grandma where they were going.

The treehouse was situated across the field next to their house, so it was close enough that their grandma felt comfortable letting them go off on their own, as long as they listened to Scott.

It was built onto the side of a tree, resting on a thick branch, and there was a ladder attached to the trunk that went all the way up to the hatch in the floor of the treehouse.

It wasn't the biggest treehouse, but it was cosy and fit all five of them comfortably.

Virgil was the first one through the hatch and into the little wooden house. He helped his younger brothers climb up as well, and Scott came through last and closed the hatch behind them.

There were still a few pillows and blankets left from the last time they were in there, and Virgil immediately sought one out in the corner.

For the first few moments they were in there, John and Gordon took it all in. It was the first time they had been here, and from what Virgil knew about their backgrounds, it was probably the first time they'd ever been in a treehouse.

Their eyes were wide in awe even though Virgil didn't consider this a fancy looking treehouse, compared to others, but it was endearing to see them so amazed.

Eventually, Gordon also settled onto another pillow, whereas John went over to something that Virgil had completely forgotten they'd left there.

"Woah..." John uttered in surprise as he made his way over to the telescope that was pointed at the skylight in the roof. He sat on the floor and looked through the eyepiece, even though it was bright outside.

"Maybe we can come back once it gets dark," Virgil suggested, and was pleased with the smile he got from John in return. He was still trying to find ways to connect with his brothers, but it seemed they were finally making progress.

Virgil heard a clattering come from another corner of the treehouse, and he saw Scott standing over an electric heater they kept in there for cold nights. It seemed that Scott was trying to start it up to fight the chill that the late fall brought.

A bright, red glow emitted around the small room as the heater powered up, and Virgil soon felt the warmth of it reach him as it fought away the cold he hadn't realised he'd been feeling.

"I want a turn!" Alan suddenly squealed as he moved to take the telescope from John.

John protested, stating that there was nothing to look at but clouds anyway, but Alan wasn't having any of it. He wanted to play, and he wouldn't listen to anyone who would try to stop him.

Alan pried the telescope out of John's hands and, as John was still sat in the same spot as he had been before, Alan pushed him out of the way.

"Alan!" Virgil scolded as John was shoved to the floor with a yelp of surprise.

Alan didn't listen to him as he pressed his eye to the scope, but John apparently wasn't going to let him get away with it.

He sat up onto his knees and pushed him back.

"Guys." Scott warned, but he didn't move from where he was leant against the wall.

Alan went toppling over as well, this time taking the telescope with him. It clattered onto the floor, and Virgil really hoped that wasn't the lens he heard smashing.

"You broke it!" Alan cried as he picked up the telescope, but he hadn't inspected it yet, so Virgil hoped that wasn't true.

"I didn't do anything!" John argued back, and Virgil could quickly see this turning into another one of their arguments. "It was your fault!"

John stood up and Alan did as well. They were glaring at each other, and although John had several inches on Alan, their youngest brother made up for the difference with the force of his scowl.

"Just apologise to him, John," Scott sighed, seemingly also done with their arguments.

John's mouth dropped open in shock and he spun towards Scott.

"Me? Why should I apologise? If anyone should apologise it should be him!" John pointed at Alan, who was standing there with a smug grin.

Virgil stood up too. He didn't really want to get involved, but even he could see that Scott was being unreasonable. He also knew that it was unlikely that they were going to stop if he didn't get involved, and he would rather this be over with.

"Maybe you should both just apologise to each other," Virgil suggested with a smile, trying to get the conversation back to the light-heartedness it once was.

"I'm not apologising to him!" Alan yelled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well I'm not apologising to you either!" John crossed his arms in a similar fashion and turned his head away from them.

"Brat." It was muttered quietly under John's breath, but they all heard it. Especially Alan, whose face clouded over with as much fury as a five year old could carry.

Virgil moved to step in before this fight could escalate further, but not before Alan gave John another shove.

John stumbled on his feet now that he didn't have his hands out to stabilise him, and he fell right into Virgil.

Virgil tried to brace himself to stop them both from hitting the floor, but he tripped over something and heard a crash as whatever it was got knocked over.

He spun around as soon as he'd stabilised John back on his feet, and saw the electrical heater now sparking as it sat tipped over on the ground.

The red light flickered in and out as the heater sparked with electricity. Virgil stepped back with a flinch when there was a louder spark, and then abruptly the heater caught fire.

"Uh...that's not good," Scott provided helpfully as he pushed off the wall and came over to them.

Virgil, barely knowing the first thing about fire safety, picked up a blanket that was bunched up in the corner and draped it over the fire in an attempt to smother the flames, but that just made it worse.

"We need to get out of here before it spreads!" Scott broke them out of their shock at the sudden fire, and they all stepped into action.

Scott went over the hatch and opened it, bringing in some fresh air to fight the smoke that was already starting to fill the small space.

Alan quickly followed, but not before grabbing the telescope and taking it with him. Virgil just wanted to tell him to leave it, but a voice in the back of his head told him that it would just lead to another argument, which they did not have time for.

Alan started down the ladder first with John right behind him. Virgil moved to followed, but then he realised something. He still had one little brother unaccounted for.

Virgil spun around to face where Gordon had been before, and he found him in just the same spot that he'd sat down in when they got here.

However, now he had his knees drawn up to his chest, with his chin tucked down and his hands wrapped around his head.

"Gordon?" Virgil asked as he stepped over to him. When he got closer, he could see that Gordon eyes were squeezed shut.

"Stop."

"What?" Virgil barely heard his whisper, and he wasn't quite sure what he meant. He reached out and put a hand on one of Gordon's arms to try and coax more out of him.

"Please, stop."

Virgil frowned. He wasn't sure if Gordon was referring to touching him, so Virgil withdrew his hand.

"Stop what?"

"Please stop fighting."

Virgil sat back in surprise as he felt the weight of Gordon's words. Gordon was scared. Of them.

He hadn't thought the argument would affect him so much, and he was sure that John and Alan hadn't meant any harm by it, but Virgil was now kicking himself for not realising it sooner. Of course Gordon would be scared of their fighting, and Virgil felt like the worst brother ever.

"Oh, Gordon, we're not fighting anymore." Virgil's hand reappeared on Gordon's arm to get him to look at him, as his eyes were still closed. "I'm sure Alan and John have already made up."

Whether that was true or not, Virgil was already making plans for having a serious conversation with his other brothers about how much they had been fighting lately. It needed to stop, but that would still have to wait for the moment.

"We need to get out of here though," Virgil could already feel the smoke stick to his throat and he was trying hard not to cough. "It's not safe."

Gordon's head slowly rose, and his eyes opened. His hands didn't leave his head, until he took in what was happening and his eyes grew wide.

Virgil's hand moved from his arm and he held it out for Gordon to take. Gordon still seemed slightly hesitant, but one final look at the fire that was quickly spreading was enough to get him to take Virgil's hand.

Virgil pulled Gordon up and turned in the direction of the hatch, but stopped still as he took in the extent of what was happening.

The fire had already spread across the treehouse, and now all the walls, floor and ceiling were alight. It was a miracle that it hadn't reached the two of them yet.

Virgil spotted a path across the floor that was still untouched and offered them a way out towards the hatch. So, he pulled Gordon along with him with one hand, whilst the other was over his mouth as he started to cough.

They were making steady work across the small house, and Virgil was starting to believe they'd actually make it back unscathed. Gordon was pressed closed to Virgil's back and refused to let go of his hand. Virgil wasn't going to let him even if he wanted to.

There was a loud creaking above them, and Virgil just had enough time to step back before a piece of the burning ceiling crashed down into their path.

He almost tripped over Gordon directly behind him, but they both managed to right themselves before they fell over.

However, now there was a burning piece of wood blocking their path out of the treehouse. Virgil turned around to see if he could find another path, but then his eyes settled on Gordon.

His little brother's eyes were blown wide and Virgil could practically hear his panic in the way he coughed through the smoke.

He was looking at the fire around them, and after seeing that Virgil was no longer leading him down the path, he was slowly starting to move back in panic. Like he was trying to get away from the fire, even though he was just moving closer to it.

Virgil still had a grip on Gordon's hand, and he tried to pull his brother closer towards him again.

"We need to find another way," Virgil croaked as he frantically looked for another way out, but he couldn't find anything.

His gaze moved back to Gordon, and then it was like everything moved in slow motion.

A creak and then a snap of wood, followed by the floor disappearing under Gordon's feet. Panic on Gordon's face, before he was sucked down into the hole that had been created. Virgil never let go, and was pulled down with him.

He felt pain spike through one of his legs as he went, and then he was falling towards the ground below.

* * *

Virgil was now sat in a hospital bed, propped up on a mountain of pillows as he waited for the rest of his family to come and see him.

After he and Gordon had fallen from the treehouse, they were soon whisked away in the ambulances that their grandma had called for after she had seen the fire from the house.

Speaking of Gordon, he was in the bed next to Virgil, looking just as tired as he felt, but still awake. They were both fortunate enough to have been put in the same, two bed room. Although, Virgil reckoned that he would have snuck to his brother's room if they were separated anyway.

He was thankful he didn't have to, though, because he wasn't sure he would be able to make it far on his bandaged leg.

Virgil had sustained a burn up the back of his right calf, as well as a fracture in his left wrist from where he had tried to brace himself before hitting the dirt beneath the treehouse.

Gordon, on the other hand, had come away with a broken leg and a concussion from the fall. Virgil felt partially to blame for that, because Gordon had fallen first and had unfortunately cushioned Virgil's landing.

He also had a burn to one of his hands, which he had apparently gotten whilst they were still in the treehouse, and Virgil had somehow missed him getting hurt.

And to top it all off, they both were dealing with a lot of smoke inhalation. Virgil was glad that he no longer had to wear the oxygen mask, but he still coughed occasionally which hurt his chest.

There was a creak of a door opening, and Virgil looked over to find the rest of his brothers and his grandma coming into the room.

"How are you two feeling?" His grandma asked as she came over to the gap that separated their two beds. She sat on the edge of Gordon's bed and placed her hand on his good leg, but she made sure she was facing both of them.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Virgil replied with a smile as big as his energy would allow, which wasn't really all that big.

Gordon nodded and gave their grandma a similar reply, which seemed to please their grandma enough for her to get up and give them a smile in return.

"I'll go and give your father a call and let him know you're alright."

She ruffled Gordon's hair as she moved past him and headed out the door.

Virgil waited a moment after the door had clicked shut, just to make sure she was really gone, before he threw the sheets back and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Virgil, what are you doing?" Scott appeared at his side and put his hands out as if to prevent Virgil from moving any further. "You should stay in bed."

Virgil ignored him and pushed past his big brother to stand. He stumbled when he put weight on his right leg, but once he stilled and the pain had subsided, he moved on.

Gordon was watching him in confusion as Virgil made his way over to his bed. It was only a few steps, but it was enough to tire Virgil out and he happily slumped into the seat next to Gordon's bed.

Virgil was a little out of breath and he had to cough a few times before he managed to get his breath back, but when he did, he sat up and looked at the rest of his brothers.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" Scott frowned in confusion as he sat down where their grandma had just been. John was standing at the end of Gordon's bed, whereas Alan was sat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed.

"About us." Virgil gestured around to the five of them with his non-broken hand. "We need to stop fighting so much."

His brothers were quiet as they looked at each other and then back to Virgil, looking slightly guilty. At least they knew what Virgil was talking about, and he didn't have to waste time explaining.

"We are a family. We're all brothers, and so we need to start acting like it. We can't let our differences get between us. Dad wouldn't want that."

Virgil paused as he waited for a response, but they all remained quiet as they felt the wait of Virgil's words. They had been fighting a lot, and they knew it made their dad unhappy. None of them even knew why they had been fighting so much.

Eventually, it was Scott who spoke up.

"I agree. The fact that we all come from different places shouldn't be what drives us apart, it should be what brings us together. Dad chose us all for a reason. We're meant to be brothers. We're meant to be a family."

They were words that Virgil couldn't have said better himself, and he could feel a wetness building in his eyes. He blinked it away before any of his brothers could see, although he didn't know why he felt the need to.

Suddenly, Virgil felt a small, bandaged hand grasp onto his bigger, cast-covered one that was resting on the arm of the chair.

Virgil looked over to see that Gordon was watching him and giving him a small smile. Now that Virgil thought about it, there wasn't many times that he had seen Gordon smile.

"A family?" He said in a voice so small.

"Yeah." Virgil was sure to send him a smile back, a much bigger one than he could muster up for their grandma. "A family."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!! I had so much fun writing this that I might explore this AU further at some point :D


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